Contact tracing is much like masks. Its not going to stop the spread, but its something that can be done to help decrease it.

Marcus Aurelius said:

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And you'd think covid was non-existent. Everyone crowding. Less 1/4 wearing masks in stores etc. This thing is skyrocketing. Guess the plan is to take the collateral damage. 1800 new cases in Bama alone yesterday.

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I live on the beach in FL. I can tell you with certainty that the issues that you cite are 100% the result of tourists like yourself who come to visit for a few days or a week. Or should I say "tourons", a local hybrid term used to refer to tourists/morons.

The day they first opened the beaches back up, they were packed with locals celebrating the end of the shut-down - but nearly everyone was socially distancing. By the next day, things were back to normal, and the beaches were relatively quiet because they were still not allowing vacation rentals. Even weekends weren't busy. There was no crowding, and the majority of the locals were wearing masks in stores etc.

Then they opened up the vacation rentals, and all hell broke loose. Big groups of 20+ people vacationing together with no social distancing. Family reunions. Beach weddings with 50+ people attending. People crowding on elevators despite signage urging them not to do so.

So when you say "everyone" crowding, you really were saying "all the tourists"... of which you were one. And the collateral damage you note will not be at the beach in FL, it will be returning to its home base.

The ability to contact trace died when everyone crammed into bars and lined the streets in protest.

We wear a mask when In public, avoid large crowded places, socialize outdoors with a few select groups of friends and family and vacationed in Colorado instead of a packed beach town this summer. We made some changes to our lifestyle and keep moving forward doing our best to enjoy life. Really has not been the end of the world for my family that many make it out to be.

oklaunion said:

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What I am now worried about is that this was just a trial balloon for whoever started it to observe how the US handled it.

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The government makes you cover your dick up when you go outside, where's the outrage over that?

ElephantRider said:

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The government makes you cover your dick up when you go outside, where's the outrage over that?

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That hasn't been made into a political thing just yet. Give it time.....

SirLurksALot said:

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AggieYankee1 said:

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FrioAg 00 said:

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I believe that you are correct. It never should have been a top down decision, not in America. The government simply cannot enforce compliance with their illegal mandates.

The collective citizenry has decided that the cost is not worth whatever risk draconian measures would reduce. Those ideas were weighed and measured, and they have been mostly rejected.

Anyone who wishes to implement whatever quarantine measures are best for them can do so freely - they just cannot impose their restrictions on other free people.

The good news is that within a few months everyone will have been exposed to it and the results will be what they are. The early returns are that the results will be much less than what early predictors said. And once everyone has been exposed for their first time, the odds of the disease having much impact nationally are very low.

---

And for those who think this virus is not a foreign enemy. What happens when other country's get this under control and we never do.

They win.
We lose.

---

Literally nothing happens. The impact from this virus alone even under the worst case scenario is minimal. We've already done more damage by having restrictions in place for over 4 months.

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Actually, the true shame of the damage to the economy is that we weren't smart enough to ride it out long enough to matter. Now there has been much destruction and it appears all for naught. That's the true shame.

Player To Be Named Later said:

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Capitol Ag said:

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ElephantRider said:

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The government makes you cover your dick up when you go outside, where's the outrage over that?

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Well, NO ONE wants to see that. Even women. Now, I'm fully supportive of women expressing their "right" to wear or in this case NOT wear whatever they want to. I am libertarian and all.

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By the letter of the law, it isn't illegal for women to go topless in public. Nothing is preventing them legally from doing so.

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Facts! God Bless America!


/thread officially derailed by dirty old men. Hey, it's the 4th. Go BBQ, grill (two distinct and totally different cooking methods) have some libations and celebrate living in the United States where we can have different opinions but still be Americans! We can "solve" all these pressing issues later.

And to the OP, I really do thank you for your service here and to your patients and hope you had a great vacation and have a great 4th.

bay fan said:

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SirLurksALot said:

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AggieYankee1 said:

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FrioAg 00 said:

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I believe that you are correct. It never should have been a top down decision, not in America. The government simply cannot enforce compliance with their illegal mandates.

The collective citizenry has decided that the cost is not worth whatever risk draconian measures would reduce. Those ideas were weighed and measured, and they have been mostly rejected.

Anyone who wishes to implement whatever quarantine measures are best for them can do so freely - they just cannot impose their restrictions on other free people.

The good news is that within a few months everyone will have been exposed to it and the results will be what they are. The early returns are that the results will be much less than what early predictors said. And once everyone has been exposed for their first time, the odds of the disease having much impact nationally are very low.

---

And for those who think this virus is not a foreign enemy. What happens when other country's get this under control and we never do.

They win.
We lose.

---

Literally nothing happens. The impact from this virus alone even under the worst case scenario is minimal. We've already done more damage by having restrictions in place for over 4 months.

---

Actually, the true shame of the damage to the economy is that we weren't smart enough to ride it out long enough to matter. Now there has been much destruction and it appears all for naught. That's the true shame.

---

"Riding it out" was never the stated intention. If anything the mistake for the vast majority of the country was locking down too early even though there was no threat to overwhelm the healthcare system. Now there's very little support for another lockdown when it's actually spreading.

bay fan said:

---

SirLurksALot said:

---

AggieYankee1 said:

---

FrioAg 00 said:

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I believe that you are correct. It never should have been a top down decision, not in America. The government simply cannot enforce compliance with their illegal mandates.


The collective citizenry has decided that the cost is not worth whatever risk draconian measures would reduce. Those ideas were weighed and measured, and they have been mostly rejected.

Anyone who wishes to implement whatever quarantine measures are best for them can do so freely - they just cannot impose their restrictions on other free people.

The good news is that within a few months everyone will have been exposed to it and the results will be what they are. The early returns are that the results will be much less than what early predictors said. And once everyone has been exposed for their first time, the odds of the disease having much impact nationally are very low.

---

And for those who think this virus is not a foreign enemy. What happens when other country's get this under control and we never do.

They win.
We lose.

---

Literally nothing happens. The impact from this virus alone even under the worst case scenario is minimal. We've already done more damage by having restrictions in place for over 4 months.

---

Actually, the true shame of the damage to the economy is that we weren't smart enough to ride it out long enough to matter. Now there has been much destruction and it appears all for naught. That's the true shame.

---

I thought the whole shutdown thing was to prevent the hospitals from being overwhelmed? That was the original goal at least.

bay fan said:

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SirLurksALot said:

---

AggieYankee1 said:

---

FrioAg 00 said:

---

I believe that you are correct. It never should have been a top down decision, not in America. The government simply cannot enforce compliance with their illegal mandates.

The collective citizenry has decided that the cost is not worth whatever risk draconian measures would reduce. Those ideas were weighed and measured, and they have been mostly rejected.

Anyone who wishes to implement whatever quarantine measures are best for them can do so freely - they just cannot impose their restrictions on other free people.

The good news is that within a few months everyone will have been exposed to it and the results will be what they are. The early returns are that the results will be much less than what early predictors said. And once everyone has been exposed for their first time, the odds of the disease having much impact nationally are very low.

---

And for those who think this virus is not a foreign enemy. What happens when other country's get this under control and we never do.

They win.
We lose.

---

Literally nothing happens. The impact from this virus alone even under the worst case scenario is minimal. We've already done more damage by having restrictions in place for over 4 months.

---

Actually, the true shame of the damage to the economy is that we weren't smart enough to ride it out long enough to matter. Now there has been much destruction and it appears all for naught. That's the true shame.

---

How long do you expect people to "ride it out"? If we open before there is a vaccine then there is going to be flare ups again.

It is really hard to be nice when people want me dead. And that is how I take it when they refuse to wear masks and social distance. I had to pick up a grocery order yesterday and was pleased to see people with masks walking toward the store.

This take what happens and we don't give a fig attitude just hurts me to the heart. I thought we were better than this as a nation.

I am thankful that the masks are now required but I still don't dare get out and it is starting to eat at me as a person. Those of you who say those of us over 70 just need to stay home. I have been now for MONTHS. I could get get out on a limited basis if people would just social distance and wear masks, but they are not willing to even make that small sacrifice. My dog is way overdue again for her nails trimmed, but last time the people at pet smart were crowding up on us and I had a nervous counting of 14 days to be past the time I might have caught it there.

Please my prayers are that we get a vaccine soon. It is almost time for flu shots also.

3rd Generation Ag said:

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It is really hard to be nice when people want me dead. And that is how I take it when they refuse to wear masks and social distance.

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You've created an imaginary boogeyman. This doesn't exist.

3rd Generation Ag said:

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It is really hard to be nice when people want me dead. And that is how I take it when they refuse to wear masks and social distance.

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A little hyperbolic don't you think?

You do realize that even in the over 70 group the vast majority of people who become infected will survive? This disease is not a death sentence for any demographic group.

I am VERY high risk. So it is not a pretend illness. I just don't get people who are not taking it seriously. So is my brother. He has had to isolate since march. He is an Aggie and is almost 80. Has a fib, has had mulitple bypass operations, one lung due to a congenital defect, and copd and diabetic and the wrong blood type.

I care about him and myself. And we would not have to lock ourselves away if people would just follow the guidelines from every major medical authority.

3rd Generation Ag said:

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I am VERY high risk. So it is not a pretend illness. I just don't get people who are not taking it seriously. So is my brother. He has had to isolate since march. He is an Aggie and is almost 80. Has a fib, has had mulitple bypass operations, one lung due to a congenital defect, and copd and diabetic and the wrong blood type.

I care about him and myself. And we would not have to lock ourselves away if people would just follow the guidelines from every major medical authority.

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So you think it's fair to punish the rest of America because you and your brother are high risk?

SirLurksALot said:

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3rd Generation Ag said:

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It is really hard to be nice when people want me dead. And that is how I take it when they refuse to wear masks and social distance.

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A little hyperbolic don't you think?

You do realize that even in the over 70 group the vast majority of people who become infected will survive? This disease is not a death sentence for any demographic group.

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I think you'd feel differently if you had ~10% chance of death if you caught the virus. Suddenly, the fact that the majority of people don't die in your demographic doesn't matter.

Gordo14 said:

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SirLurksALot said:

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3rd Generation Ag said:

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It is really hard to be nice when people want me dead. And that is how I take it when they refuse to wear masks and social distance.

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A little hyperbolic don't you think?

You do realize that even in the over 70 group the vast majority of people who become infected will survive? This disease is not a death sentence for any demographic group.

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I think you'd feel differently if you had ~10% chance of death if you caught the virus. Suddenly, the fact that the majority of people don't die in your demographic doesn't matter.

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I believe 10% is only in the over 80 category. In a normal year 10% of 80 year olds die anyway.

3rd Generation Ag said:

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I am VERY high risk. So it is not a pretend illness. I just don't get people who are not taking it seriously. So is my brother. He has had to isolate since march. He is an Aggie and is almost 80. Has a fib, has had mulitple bypass operations, one lung due to a congenital defect, and copd and diabetic and the wrong blood type.

I care about him and myself. And we would not have to lock ourselves away if people would just follow the guidelines from every major medical authority.

---

I've reached the point where I have just realized that arguing with people here just isn't going to change anyone's mind. People have entrenched themselves deeper than any WWI trench warfare bunker and nobody is going to budge an inch.

It just isn't worth it. People have drawn their lines in the sand and picked their teams.

Some strong, "do as I say, not as I do", coming from OP

SirLurksALot said:

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3rd Generation Ag said:

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I am VERY high risk. So it is not a pretend illness. I just don't get people who are not taking it seriously. So is my brother. He has had to isolate since march. He is an Aggie and is almost 80. Has a fib, has had mulitple bypass operations, one lung due to a congenital defect, and copd and diabetic and the wrong blood type.

I care about him and myself. And we would not have to lock ourselves away if people would just follow the guidelines from every major medical authority.

---

So you think it's fair to punish the rest of America because you and your brother are high risk?

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Wearing a mask is not a punishment. It's a very, very minor inconvenience that is worth it.

I always think it's funny when Godwin's Law comes into play by the 5th reply of thread!

ElephantRider said:

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SirLurksALot said:

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3rd Generation Ag said:

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I am VERY high risk. So it is not a pretend illness. I just don't get people who are not taking it seriously. So is my brother. He has had to isolate since march. He is an Aggie and is almost 80. Has a fib, has had mulitple bypass operations, one lung due to a congenital defect, and copd and diabetic and the wrong blood type.

I care about him and myself. And we would not have to lock ourselves away if people would just follow the guidelines from every major medical authority.

---

So you think it's fair to punish the rest of America because you and your brother are high risk?

---

Wearing a mask is not a punishment. It's a very, very minor inconvenience that is worth it.

---

Shutting down parks, beaches, bars, churches and restaurants is punishment. Forcing millions of Americans to lose their jobs is punishment. Eliminating almost all forms of entertainment outside of your home is punishment.

Don't pretend this is just a mask issue or that masks alone would magically make the virus go away. LA and Beijing are proof that spikes can happen even when residents are forced to wear masks.

GAC06 said:

---

bay fan said:

---

SirLurksALot said:

---

AggieYankee1 said:

---

FrioAg 00 said:

---

I believe that you are correct. It never should have been a top down decision, not in America. The government simply cannot enforce compliance with their illegal mandates.

The collective citizenry has decided that the cost is not worth whatever risk draconian measures would reduce. Those ideas were weighed and measured, and they have been mostly rejected.

Anyone who wishes to implement whatever quarantine measures are best for them can do so freely - they just cannot impose their restrictions on other free people.

The good news is that within a few months everyone will have been exposed to it and the results will be what they are. The early returns are that the results will be much less than what early predictors said. And once everyone has been exposed for their first time, the odds of the disease having much impact nationally are very low.

---

And for those who think this virus is not a foreign enemy. What happens when other country's get this under control and we never do.

They win.
We lose.

---

Literally nothing happens. The impact from this virus alone even under the worst case scenario is minimal. We've already done more damage by having restrictions in place for over 4 months.

---

Actually, the true shame of the damage to the economy is that we weren't smart enough to ride it out long enough to matter. Now there has been much destruction and it appears all for naught. That's the true shame.

---

"Riding it out" was never the stated intention. If anything the mistake for the vast majority of the country was locking down too early even though there was no threat to overwhelm the healthcare system. Now there's very little support for another lockdown when it's actually spreading.

---

You think everything would have been fine with zero lockdown? The shutdown REALLY helped getting treatments, PPE, etc in order.. Drs like OP even said people he's seeing now would have been dead previously because they really had no idea what was working. And what they thought was wasn't available.

Pretty insane to say that the lockdown didn't help keep the hospitals from being overwhelmed.

we also thought the hospitalization rate was much higher than it seems to be

AgsMyDude said:

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GAC06 said:

---

bay fan said:

---

SirLurksALot said:

---

AggieYankee1 said:

---

FrioAg 00 said:

---

I believe that you are correct. It never should have been a top down decision, not in America. The government simply cannot enforce compliance with their illegal mandates.

The collective citizenry has decided that the cost is not worth whatever risk draconian measures would reduce. Those ideas were weighed and measured, and they have been mostly rejected.

Anyone who wishes to implement whatever quarantine measures are best for them can do so freely - they just cannot impose their restrictions on other free people.

The good news is that within a few months everyone will have been exposed to it and the results will be what they are. The early returns are that the results will be much less than what early predictors said. And once everyone has been exposed for their first time, the odds of the disease having much impact nationally are very low.

---

And for those who think this virus is not a foreign enemy. What happens when other country's get this under control and we never do.

They win.
We lose.

---

Literally nothing happens. The impact from this virus alone even under the worst case scenario is minimal. We've already done more damage by having restrictions in place for over 4 months.

---

Actually, the true shame of the damage to the economy is that we weren't smart enough to ride it out long enough to matter. Now there has been much destruction and it appears all for naught. That's the true shame.

---

"Riding it out" was never the stated intention. If anything the mistake for the vast majority of the country was locking down too early even though there was no threat to overwhelm the healthcare system. Now there's very little support for another lockdown when it's actually spreading.

---

You think everything would have been fine with zero lockdown? The shutdown REALLY helped getting treatments, PPE, etc in order.. Drs like OP even said people he's seeing now would have been dead previously because they really had no idea what was working. And what they thought was wasn't available.

Pretty insane to say that the lockdown didn't help keep the hospitals from being overwhelmed.

---

I didn't say pretty much anything you just said. I said we locked down too early before there was a threat of overwhelming hospitals. Then we stayed locked down way too long. Now with an actual spike in cases no one wants to hear about "locking down" because it was a farce the first time. The virus will do its thing. It will die out soon enough just like it has everywhere else there's been a major spike. Killing the economy for three months was counter productive.

AggieLitigator said:

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oklaunion said:

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What I am now worried about is that this was just a trial balloon for whoever started it to observe how the US handled it.

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This is something I haven't considered yet. Scary possibility.

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IF, and that's a HUGE leap of logic for any sane person outside of F16 to really think happened, is what someone like China was doing, they really didn't need to do this to figure out this is how we'd act. Anyone who has paid even a remote level of attention to this country over the last decade or so, could tell you this is exactly how our country would act..... by dividing ourselves and fighting like mad between ourselves.

I mean, this is what we do for EVERYTHING now. No foreign power really has to even second guess that anymore. All you have to do to screw our country is interject just a little bit of controversial subject and we will kill ourselves from within.

That said, I highly doubt that's what happened here.